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geniequestria · 2 years

Note

What if Twilight had left Starlight back at the archives after their battle?

Note: This is a What If scenario bonus story. This will not effect the current story still ongoing.

______________________________________________________________ Stillness fell over the archive.

Twilight stood motionless, wide-eyed and dumbstruck, for what felt like an eternity

“Starlight? Starlight! Can you hear me?” Her voice was trembling

Starlight was gone. The only evidence of her having been there at all were the two gashes cut through the archive’s tile floor. And the shimmering dark purple lamp.

“Starlight, please… No, I didn’t… I didn’t mean to…”

Slowly and carefully - very carefully - the princess plucked the lamp off the ground with her magic. The lamp was very still now. It felt quiet and seemingly inert.

“Starlight, I’m so sorry… I know you were going to hurt ponies, but… you didn’t deserve this…”

On the side of the vessel, Twilight noticed a new mark. A pair of rising, two-toned blue-stripes, and a smaller purple lamp. Almost as if Starlight’s cutie mark had become imprinted on the side.

On one hoof, the day had been won. Starlight’s invasion of the archive had been prevented, and no serious lasting damage had been inflicted on Equestria.

But on the other hoof, Twilight still felt dejected. Carefully carrying the lamp out of the archive, the Alicorn reflected internally upon how remarkably dangerous the vessel had proven itself.

Twilight thinks about taking the lamp back to Equestria, in hopes of finding a way to free Starlight… if she’s even still alive in there. But now that things are a bit more tranquil, perhaps she should heed the warning about the place she’s in. And read what information there is about the lamp beforehand.

She sits down and pulls out the scroll about the lamp to read it.

In time, her face gradually grimaces the more she reads it. And she is suddenly full of conflicting feelings about the information she read.

(“If… if this is accurate… then… it’s unfortunately too dangerous to take this home… but… would I really feel right just leaving her here…? Starlight was up to no good…but if there’s a way to save her… I’d prefer to do that… but… if she’s going to be even more amped up… and possibly even more corrupted due to the crystal… then… I have no choice but to abandon her here…)

“I.. I… I am so so sooooooo sorry, Starlight… I never meant any of this to happen to you… this must at least be a little bit of how Celestia felt… when she banished her sister…” Twilight felt heartbroken, to decide to seal the fate of another pony for who knows how long is a heavy burden. She didn’t think Starlight deserved a fate like this, but she can’t risk Equestria’s future all for one pony. She’s at least somewhat comforted by the fact Starlight wasn’t killed, though slowly it dawns on her that maybe she’s leaving her to a fate worse than death. Forever alone, trapped in this dark vessel.

Twilight’s eyes fill with tears, but she closes her eyes as she turns back and floats the lamp back onto the pedestal it was on. She then slowly walks towards the exits to the archives, looking back one last time longingly.

And from that time forward, Twilight, nor any pony else from her generation ever saw Starlight Glimmer’s face again.

The Storm King and his forces would prove to be a tough foe for Equestria, but Twilight and her friends ultimately prevailed. And from then onward, peace ruled in for Equestria for days, that became weeks, then months, then years and even centuries. Aside from perhaps the Alicorns, dragons like Spike, or other types of creatures like Discord. The generation of Twilight’s younger years would die out and make rise to many other generations. Eventually, there came a time where Twilight’s world was considered the ancient past.

At least 5,000 years have passed since Twilight’s generation now. And since then, odd happenings seem to have come about to Equestria. For in the current state of the world, the ponies lived separately. The earth ponies in the sea-port city of Maretime Bay, the Unicorns in a dense forest called Bridlewood, and the Pegasi living it up in the highly technical Zephyr Heights. None of the ponies had their magic, and even more mysteriously… Nopony knew exactly why that was. There are many theories, and some that were obvious misinformation that placed the blame on the other pony races for what happened. But otherwise, no actual consensus on what caused magic to go away.

Perhaps even more somberly, most ponies grew to not care enough about what happened. And went on with their lives despite the knowledge of the existence of a happier time. Many could only refer to Twilight’s reign as “The Golden Age” with pessimistic views of society ever reaching the highs of Equestria’s history ever again.

But, there was certainly at least one pony willing to change all that. A mare by the name of Sunny Starscout, raised by her late father who was most certainly a historian that knew more about the ancient times then others. She hoped to prove that what friendships the ponies had in Twilight’s age could still happen now, even against all odds.

One day, a unicorn came by Maretime Bay and made the citizens freak out. It was none other than the happy-go-lucky Izzy Moonbow who had coincidentally received a friendship message sent many years ago by Sunny. The two then ran from Maretime Bay to explore Equestria, hoping to spark a widespread change to society.

Sunny’s childhood friend Hitch would however be on their tail the entire time. Although. he certainly has trouble catching up to the swift and idealistic mares full of optimism for the future. He refuses to give up however.

Eventually, Sunny and Izzy’s journey brings them to the beautiful Zephyr Heights. Where they meet none other than the Princess sisters of Zipp Storm and Pipp Petals. After being briefly imprisoned, the two of them are freed by the older sister. The three of them gather at the ruins where the trusty pegasus has a secret hideout.

“Where are we?” Sunny asked curiously

Zipp nodded proudly “It’s amazing, right? I’m pretty sure it was some sort of station for when Earth ponies and unicorns used to visit Zephyr Heights. It’s like every pony just… forgot”

“This is proof! All pony kinds did use to be friends! My dad was right. It must be really weird being the only pegasi that can fly” Sunny comments

Zipp however sighs and tells the truth. “The truth is we can’t fly either. We’ve been faking it”

Izzy and Sunny both gasp. “Faking it?! But… but how?”

“You’d be surprised what some wires and good lighting will do. But I’m just so tired of living that ridiculous lie. That’s why I come down here, to get away from all that. And… well… to do… this!”

Zipp jumps onto a lever that activates a ground-based fan. Allowing the pegasus to sort of glide, even without the actual ability of flight. She laughs and smiles smugly as she shows off her way of getting as close as she can possibly get to a simulated flight.

All Sunny can say is “Wow!” as Izzy says “Whoa! Her sparkle is so bright right now!”

Zipp soon gently glides down back on the ground.

“But that’s not why I brought you here. This is what I wanted to show you…” Zipp points to a large stained glass window. However, it seems both Sunny and Izzy’s eyes are drawn to something else nearby.

Sunny gasped “Oh, my stars…!”

Zipp initially thinks it’s about the window. “This was made a long, long time ago, when we still had magic.”

“It’s beautiful!” Izzy can’t take her eyes off whatever she and Sunny are looking at

“What is that?” Sunny inquired

Again, Zipp thinks it’s about the window “That’s the pegasus cry-“

Sunny interrupted “No! Not that Zipp! The dark purple thing on the pedestal with the interesting markings!”

Zipp blinked twice “…Oh that lamp? I don’t actually know. I found it and the pedestal it’s on scrounging around this place. Some papers were nearby that had a huge warning text. However, the paper has completely weathered to near unreadable status aside from said warning symbol. Who knows if the warning is even related to the lamp

I mostly ignored it however, it seems like a nice art piece from what I can gather but nothing I’m entirely interested in”

Sunny steps up closer to examine the lamp in further detail. It was crafted really well, the symbol completely unfamiliar to her. “Zipp, may I… touch it?”

“Sure, knock your socks of-“ Zipp is once again interrupted, this time by a very familiar voice

“ZIPP!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE ESCAPED PRISONERS?!” Pipp ran straight to her sister’s side.

“The whole city’s in a panic! Please tell me you were about to bring them back…” Pipp frowned

Zipp however looks determined as she tells her sister the truth “Pipp, who do you think was the one that let them out in the first place?”

Pipp gasped “WHAAAAAAT?! ZIPP, ARE YOU INSANE?! This… is a scandal that could ruin your life! It could ruin MY life! Maybe even our mother’s life! Uh… uh… uh… Zipp! Quickly, if we play it out correctly… we could livestream us bringing the prisoners back, and we get back to the city as heroes. Nopony will ever know!”

“Absolutely not, sis! I’m not adding to our family’s big lie that’s forced us to pretend we can fly anymore! There will come a day they find out, and we’ll be in a position no worse than aiding the escape of two prisoners. Especially, since these two don’t mean any actual harm!” Zipp looks straight in her sister’s eyes.

“But… but… that’s different! We say we can fly because it keeps our citizens’ morale up! As long as they think we can fly… we won’t be as paranoid or superstitious as the earth ponies and the unicorns!” Pipp tries to bargain with her sister, though her last statement wasn’t exactly amusing to Sunny.

“You know we’re right here…” Sunny deadpanned

Zipp turned to Sunny “Just ignore my sister, go ahead and grab the lam… huh? What the, where’d it go?!” It seems during Pipp and Zipp’s conversation the lamp that Sunny asked to touch has gone. Sunny and Zipp look around until they see Izzy, who was now holding it.

“This lamp is amazingly crafted! Though… I wonder if it could use jussssst a little glitter on it…” Izzy takes out from her large mane a small vial of light blue glitter and starts rubbing it all over. The lamp is no longer just purple with blue swirls but now dots of shiny glitter on it. Though as Izzy continues to decorate, Izzy can feel the lamp suddenly rising in temperature.

“What the… is this some kind of heater..?!” Izzy drops the lamp in case it’s going to get too hot to touch. A dark glow envelops the lamp, the lamp seeming to writhe and condense on itself multiple times. The lamp starts jumping, and gets ever higher with each jump and moves surprisingly far. It’s as if something inside was trying desperately, impatiently to get out.

All four of the mares watching the lamp were a bit freaked out, just what was happening. Zipp feared it was some kind of explosive that was ticking. “Every pony! Get to cover! I have a feeling that thing’s about to blow!” The others waste no time listening to Zipp as they all group together and hide behind a fallen pillar that should be strong enough to avoid any deadly shrapnel should it explode like Zipp thinks it will. The four mares huddle together waiting for the inevitable explosion. But what greets them is not the sound of a boom, but a very, very loud…

FWWOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!

Lilac smoke pours out of the dark lamp and swirls above it. The sounds of an insane laughter increasing in volume as dark purple and light blue sparks as shiny as the glitter that Izzy put on the lamp pop. The mares take a peek at what’s happening and gasp in horror.

“Oh no! Zipp, that isn’t… poison gas is it?!” Pipp worriedly asked her sister.

Though the white pegasus shakes her head. “If it had been a poison gas canister, it’d have already covered the whole area. And we’d be knocked out… or worse. And gas doesn’t move like this… this thing… seems like it’s somehow alive! Didn’t you hear that strange… laugh?”

“a-a-a-a-Alive?!” Pipp shivered

“I-i-i-Izzy! What did you do?!” Sunny asked

“I-i-i-i don’t know! I was just trying to give it some of my own sparkle… but then it got hot, started jumping wildly, and now all this smoke is pouring out!” Izzy frantically frowned watching.

Suddenly however, a voice of a mare unfamiliar to the ponies below echoes throughout the station. And two glowing white eyes with small wavy blue smoke at the corners of the eyes appear.

“Spar… kle….? Did… some… pony… say… SPPPPPPPAAAAAARRRRRRRRKLEEEEEE?!” The mares scream as they hear the mysterious smoke cloud speak, and in a very threatening booming anger coming out of it no less. That’s when the cloud started to shape into something, every one of the ponies cowered in fear watching the smoke condense. Soon the smoke at the tail end starts to form a silhouette. Starlight Glimmer begins to fully fade into the real world for the time in many millennia. Her eyes were still glowing as she looked down at the ponies that had released her from her imprisonment from within the lamp.

Starlight’s voice booms and echoes throughout the station again “Tell me, where… is… TWILIGHT SPARKLE!”

Most of the mares just stay quiet, but the mention of the name of her idol actually seems to perk Sunny into some sudden bravery as she asks the figure a question.

“Wait… you… knew Princess Twilight?!” Sunny asked the figure. The intimidating glowing eyes and smoke finally begins to dissipate as Starlight looks a bit more normal, aside from of course her really long elongated smoke tail from her hips to the spout of the lamp.

“Knew her?! Why I…” Starlight initially was going to say what she really thinks of her, but realizes this is an opportunity for some trickery. If Twilight is still around somewhere, she’ll need to fool ponies into thinking she was at least a well-known acquaintance. In the thousands of years she spent in the lamp, she figured her name would be wiped out of any history books to prevent anyone from letting her out one day. But now that she was finally free, she could proceed to make her move and get her revenge should she find Twilight. And her time in the lamp has left her terribly impatient for this moment. Her glowing eyes fade away, and in a more softer tone of voice. She responds to Sunny.

“Ahem… yes… I knew Twilight… we… were greaaaaat friends~” Starlight turned her back and smirked devilishly. This was certainly a lie, but one she knew there was no way these ponies would have a way to fact check after all this time.

Sunny’s eyes fill with stars. “Oh my gosh… oh my gosh! Not just some pony who KNEW Twilight… but actually befriended her?!” Sunny immediately jumps out from the cover and approaches closer to Starlight”

“Sunny! What are you doing?! I don’t know if we can trust her yet!” Zipp warns her, but it falls on deaf ears.

Though Sunny does turn around to answer “If they were friends with the legendary Princess Twilight, then I 100% trust them no matter what!”

Starlight turns her back again and mutters quietly to herself “Phbbbt… ‘legendary’…” Starlight figured that with the rule of “History is written by the winners” that Twilight would have become an icon even this far in the future. But it still irks her just to hear. She turns around however and puts up an act as if she had been close with the Princess.

“Yes… indeed. Me and Twilight went… waaaaaay back… but please, how about you girls introduce me to yourselves” Starlight floats forward putting a hoof to her chin as she awaits the name of the ponies that have not just found her, but released her from her seemingly eternal imprisonment.

Sunny nods “Of course! My name is Sunny Starscout!”

“Ahhh… it’s a pleasure to meet you, Sunny. My name is Starlight Glimmer. Now how about the names of your friends on the other hoof?” Starlight points to the other 3 mares who are still scared of the imposing sight of the mare towering over a long and shifting tendril of smoke.

After enough awkward silence Starlight chuckles and speaks up “Your friends aren’t very social, are they?~”

“Actually… all 3 are fairly social in their own ways… they’re just kind of… scared of you right now…” Sunny frowns.

Starlight just shrugs “Well, it’s understandable. All that power display from my emergence must have made one intimidating sight… if they’re not going to introduce themselves. Maybe you should do the honors, Ms. Starscout?”

Sunny nods once more. “Certainly! The unicorn is Izzy Moonbow. She hails from Bridlewood Forest where all the unicorns live. The two pegasi here are the royal princess sisters of Zephyr Heights of Zipp Storm and Pipp Petals. Oh and I suppose I haven’t said where I’m from, I am from Mareti-

“AHAAAAAAA!” A familiar male voice is heard before Sunny can finish mentioning her hometown's name.

Sunny gasped “Huh? Hitch? Is that you?”

“Of course it’s me! Were you about to give a suspicious pony like… this strange floating unicorn directions to Maretime Bay?! Not on my watch!” He stood firm, though he seemed to be breathing a little heavily. Chasing after Izzy and Sunny has taken its toll on the dedicated sheriff. A few more seconds is all it takes before he collapses and becomes prone on the ground.

“Ugh… sometimes I wish I was as nimble as you girls were…” The exasperated Sheriff lamented his relatively short endurance.

What the sheriff just said perks up Starlight’s ears. She swoops straight down next to the stallion, startling him as he drags himself backwards while sitting. His back turned to a standing pillar as Starlight’s face was in front of him. “You wish you were as nimble as a mare? Hmmm, I might be able to help you with that~. Long have I waited for my chance to grant some real wishes!”

Hitch blinks a few times. “W-w-w-what d-do you m-m-mean by t-tha- aaaAAAAH!” Hitch is quickly enveloped by a magic blast from Starlight’s horn.

“Oh no, Hitttttchhhhhh!” Sunny shrieked, as for a moment she thinks Starlight just hurt her old friend. But there were no sounds of pain coming from the stallion.

“What… the… huh?!” From inside the smoke cloud, Hitch could see his own hooves just slightly shrink, and on his line of vision his snout shrunk as well. He could also feel both his mane and tail lengthening. “What… is… happening… to… meeeeeeee?!” As Hitch said each word of that sentence, the voice raised in pitch until the voice of a stallion had faded away to make way for a more feminine voice. And a shriek from the sheriff’s new voice is what’s heard as the smoke dissipates.

Now that it was clear, the four mares looked in awe. As Hitch’s stallion body was gone, he was now a mare just like them. What they had just witnessed, just had to be an actual legitimate use of magic.

“H-h-huh… whaaaaaa…?!” Sunny is just speechless

“OH MY GOSSSSSSH! HITCH IS A MARE NOW! Yoooo! Do you know what this means?! STARLIGHT HAS REAL MAGIC!” Izzy excitedly exclaims.

“No way…” Zipp was astounded.

Pipp on the other hoof squee’d. “Oh my gosh, Zipp… I HAVE TO LIVESTREAM THIS!” Pipp pulls out her gold and white phone.

Starlight tilted her head. “Livestream?”

Pipp put hooves over her mouth “Oh that's right! You said you haven’t been out of your lamp in 5000 years! So you don’t know about our technological advances! It’ll take a while before you get used to what’s new Starlight. So I’ll try not to blow your mind all at once. But basically phones can do so much now! All you need to know is phones can download apps that allows ponies to do many things, even without magic! Like recording live events and allowing hundreds or even thousands of ponies watch it from their own phones even if they're miles away!”

“Hm, interesting. So with just your phone. You can reach the eyes of literally hundreds if not more ponies at once?” Starlight curiously asked

“Yep yep yep! Exactly!” Pipp nodded enthusiactally

“Hm hm hm… interesting… verrrrrryyyyy interesting… (Oh the propaganda I could send… this world may barely resist full genification within a week)”

“If you need to know anything more, just ask me later. I’m sure I can show you the wonders of our modern world!” Pipp tilted her head and smiled. “But let’s begin the stream. Looks like you’re a special guest, Starlight!”

Pipp pulls out her golden phone and doesn’t waste time pressing the go live button. “Ohhhh Pippsqueeeeaaaaaaks! You won’t believe what I just witnessed… you see this yellow mare behind me? You’re going to think this is total clickbait, but she used to be a stallion! Just barely a minute or so ago!” She then aims her phone up towards where Starlight is floating. “And this strange, floating unicorn mare named Starlight seems to have been the one who did it! So not only did we just witness a gender swap! But we witnessed actual real magic!”

Meanwhile Hitch was just bewildered, he…. or rather she could hear the other mares but could hardly believe them. “W-w-what? No! I’m not a mare! I can’t be a mare, I’m a full grown stall-” Next to her was a mirror where she could clearly see her reflection. She stares wide-eyed at it for a few seconds before a loud shriek pierces the air. “WHAT IN EQUESTRIA DID THAT UNICORN DO TO ME?! AND HOW…?! I thought everypony’s magic was GONE!”

“I did too, Hitch! This is AMAZING!” Sunny beamed happily.

“WHAT? NO! IT IS NOT AMAZING! This is TERRIBLE! You up there, I don’t know how you did it. But you better change me back right now!” Hitch demanded of Starlight.

Starlight just giggles a little deviously. “Oh, but you look SOOO much cuter! Though what your ex-girlfriend just said does irk me… she said magic has completely disappeared?”

“Well yeah… it’s been like that for so long. What have you been living under? A roc…” Hitch suddenly realizes Starlight said something that didn’t sit right with her “HEY, WAIT A MINUTE! DID YOU CALL SUNNY MY EX-GIRLFRIEND?!”

“Oh? Am I wrong? Are you two still dating?~” Starlight smirked

“No! We’ve never dated! We’re just friends!” Hitch replied a bit furiously

“Oh… then I guess you live a sadder life than I thought… left in the friend zone… you aren’t using your job as an officer of the law to stalk on these mares are you? Maybe you wished to be a mare yourself just so you can finally get a close enough look at a mare’s body without getting slapped~” Starlight giggled, continuing to push Hitch’s buttons.

Hitch’s face was growing redder. Whether it was by rage, or a little bit of embarrassment was hard to tell. But she wasn’t going to take this going down. “GRAAAAAAAH! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! And what even ARE you?! No pony else has magic! Why do you?!”

“Hehe, I’m glad you asked that. As the others are just as curious I imagine. I must first express some curiosity about the loss of magic in Equestria… is the cause known by chance?” Starlight turned to the group with a sincere curious look.

Just about every pony below Starlight simply shrugs and/or shakes their head as Sunny explained ”There’s many theories of what’s happened. But none that are entirely conclusive. It’s been like that since long before any of us were born. But whatever happened, it caused what was once Equestria’s greatest heights to split into the 3 places of civilization we live in now”

“Hmmm, I see… (Ha, goes to show that I’ve been right all along that Equality was the way to go… so much for Twilight’s reign…. things have turned out worse than Celestia’s sole rule! Oooooh I really hope she’s still out there somewhere… I really want to see the look on her face now!)”

Starlight then decides to fly on down and transforms her elongated smoke tail into her hindlegs and ponytail. “I suppose I’ll gradually learn more as I spend more time out here. Though I suppose if I may at least ask you girls once again… do any of you know of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s whereabouts?”

Hitch raises an eyebrow “I’ll repeat what I said earlier… where have you been living under? A rock?! Nopony has seen Princess Twilight for many, many, years!”

Sunny looks frustrated with Hitch “Hitch! You have no idea what this mare’s been through! What if whatever threat brought Twilight’s kingdom down had trapped her in that lamp, and she’s just now waking up to see what has befallen her world! And to hear that a dear friend of hers like Twilight has remained hard to find… you’re going to devastate her!”

“…She doesn’t seem very upset though.” Hitch points out that Starlight hasn’t really expressed any sort of woe for the state of the Equestria she once knew.

Which prompts Starlight to quickly change her tune, if slightly overdramatic putting a hoof over her forehead. “Oh! Of course. oh nooooo… every pony I once knew may all be gone! The world isn’t what it used to be! What happened to our unity?! I so dearly miss my friend, Twilight! Oh where could she be?!”

Hitch and Zipp aren’t really convinced by Starlight’s act. But the other 3 are on the more naive side. “Oh, don’t worry Starlight! We’ll help you get accustomed to the world! We seek to bring back the unity that we once had in your time! And you could be the key to doing so! If you were able to change Hitch into a mare. There’s no telling what else you could do! From what I recall, instant gender change was a spell considered out of reach for even Twilight’s repertoire back in the day!”

“You mean Starlight could be even more powerful than Twilight was?!” Izzy asked Sunny.

Zipp expresses some skepticism “No offense, Sunny. But that sounds impossible… no one could have possibly had more magic then the Princess of Friendship and Magic herself…”

Starlight just laughs deviously “Is that so?~. Maybe it’s about time I answered your cop buddy’s questions from a little while ago… both what I am exactly and why I still have my magic while no pony else does~.

You see… I’m not just any normal pony. How about you just take what you’ve already seen as hints… what does a being trapped in a lamp, a wish being granted, and a smoky tail remind you of?~”

As each of them recall what those three things tend to be associated with, it’s only seconds before Izzy starts waving a hoof frantically. “Ooo! oooo! OOOOOOO! I know! I know! I know! This means… you’re some kind of GENIE!”

The rest of the ponies gasp. Pipp whispers to her livestream “You hear that Pippsqueaks?! A REAL LIFE GENIE!”

Hitch on the other hoof wasn’t amused. “Do you really expect me to believe in such fairy tales?”

“You deny it, even though I granted your wish?~. Then how about this… each of the rest of you give me a wish of some sort. And I’ll grant it to the best of my ability. If turning this smart aleck into a mare truly wasn’t enough.” Starlight suggested.

“Hmmmph, if you’re really this powerful genie… then you should have no problem restoring me and Pipp’s ability to fly…” Zipp got straight to the point.

Though Pipp muted the microphone for her stream just before she said “ability to fly”. “Zipp! Don’t just say that so casually while I’m streaming!”

“Hey, if Starlight can really do what she claims. It won’t matter too long if they find out, cause then she could give them the ability to fly too” Zipp winks

That gives Pipp some thought “Hm… I guess that’s true… though I certainly think finding a genie to restore Zephyr Heights ability to fly first would be the better idea. We don’t even have to tell them we never had the ability to fly!!” Zipp admittedly inside is still unsure of having to completely cover-up the fact they’ve been unable to fly. But in all the excitement that all pegasi could fly again, there would be no need to rain on that parade. So she shrugs and lets it go.

“Though say… I have a bit of a worry…” Pipp mentions “If you’re a genie… don’t you only have three wishes before you go back into your lamp, and possibly sent somewhere where we may never see you again?”

Starlight shakes her head. “Heh, no. You don’t need to worry about that, this may be my first time out. But I feel no constraints from the lamp. You can make as many wishes as you want later!”

Pipp clapped in excitement “Oh wow! That leaves so many options, I’ll have to poll the Pippsqueaks for what other wishes they’d like!”

“But let’s get this show on the road, you still need “I wish” to be said before every wish. Right, Starlight?” Zipp asked the genie

Starlight nodded. “Correct! Allowing you and your sister to fly should be a cinch~”

“Then, I wish me and Pipp were able to fly!” Zipp confidently said, extending her wings out. Almost as if preparing for being able to soar into the air under her own power for once.

Starlight nods. “Goooood! Though before I grant the wish for the both of you, I thought I’d hear what the others want. What could prove my power more then being able to grant everyone’s wish at once?~” She then turns to Sunny and Izzy. “What would one or the both of you like?”

“Oooh! I’m so excited! Although… I think my wish probably will fall under the same bubble as Sunny’s wish. So I technically don’t need to say a wish yet, but I may keep in mind some ideas for later!” Izzy giggles.

Sunny nods “Yeah, Izzy’s wish if what I think it is should easily be doable under my most wanted wish too. In fact, I think Zipp’s wish would actually fall under a similar bubble too! For I wish that every pony in Equestria had magic again!”

“Hahaaaa! Perfect, prepare yourselves fo-“ Starlight starts charging her magic as she’s suddenly interrupted

“HEEEEEEEY! WHAT ABOUT ME!” The mare-ified Hitch exclaimed

Starlight tilted her head and raised an eyebrow “Oh? I was just thinking you already got your wish? Do you have another in mind?”

“Yes… I WISH YOU’D CHANGE ME BACK!” Hitch demanded raising both her hooves up in the air.

Starlight just rolled her eyes. “I’ll… see what I can do for you… Officer…”

“Hmmmph… finally…” The impatient former stallion huffs, now awaiting to be changed back at last.

Now that Starlight was free to grant the wishes, she smirked. “Now… as I was saying, prepare yourselves! You’ve given me the perfect wish to begin my plans!~”

Sunny gasped, that didn’t sound like Starlight was up to any good. “Plans…? What do you mean by that?!”

Starlight laughed “Oh ho ho, don’t worry yourselves… I only mean my plans to bring every pony together again~. You five will be getting a special sample of what's to come for the rest of the world, as a thanks for letting me out. For a bonus, I’d like to ask if you girls have any favorite objects. Even better if they’re capable of carrying or otherwise contain something. Though it’s certainly no requirement. Being out of there for the first time in many milennia has left me in a good mood so I'm very much willing to give you something worthy of my thankfulness, or at least… enhance an already beloved object of yours”

“Enhance it? Oo oo ooo! Like decorating some of our stuff?! Wow! Who knew unicorns from way back were into crafts like me!” Izzy clapped happily

Zipp put a hoof to her chin “Favorite objects? Admittedly that’s hard for me to say…. I suppose the closest is this water bottle for when I’m exercising” Zipp holds up a bottle that’s similarly colored to herself.

“Well, my favorite object is obvious! My phone! Isn’t that right, Pippsqueaks?!” She speaks straight into the phone.

“Mine is easy as well! My badge, of course!” Hitch pushes her chest forward as to present her badge

Izzy took some time to think “Oh, but there’s so many objects I love! I don’t know if I can just pick one. And at home I have like… duplicates of almost everything you can imagine! I feel like I’d need something totally new that I don’t have! The tennis ball the Pegasus guards put on my horn was kinda neat. I’d like to know what those are packaged in.”

Starlight made a mental note as each of the four answered her including creating a tennis ball can for Izzy. “All of those fit you nicely! (And soon... you'll all fit right in them too~) But how about you, young Sunny? What is your favorite object? A book like your idol, or perhaps a figure of Twilight Sparkle herself?”

Sunny goes deep into thought, as much as having more items related to her favorite historical figure or enhanced one she already has by some pony who knew her. The idea of her favorite object falls onto something else entirely. She shakes her head. “No, my favorite object is something else. It’s… one of the remaining reminders of my late father…”

The subject of a deceased father makes Starlight’s confident face change. She looks with sincerity. “Oh, I’m… sorry to hear you don’t have a father around… what about your mother?“

Sunny shakes her head “She was gone even earlier than that, before my first memory. My father was the only one of my family left…”

“Oh… I see… that’s… unfortunate. I’m doubly sorry to hear that family-wise you’re all alone. Like you I actually had a loving, if naive father. I’m sure as with every pony else from my time he’s gone. Also like you, my mother was not around for my early life. I have to presume your mother at least loved you, one thing I cannot say for myself” Starlight continued her sincere tone.

“Oh gosh… I can’t imagine what that’s like… abandoned by a parent like that…” Sunny gives Starlight an empathetic look.

Starlight then shakes her head “But never mind any of this… please feel free to tell me what your favorite object is. Whatever this reminder of your father is.”

Sunny nods “Right, it’s this tall little carousel diorama lamp that had colored wood cuttings of each of the three types. One yellow pegasus, one blue unicorn, and one purple earth pony. When the key spins the keyhole, it would shine a light that creates shadows that depict all three types moving across the walls and ceilings of my room. It was most helpful as a nightlight before bed. As it’d get me thinking of a future I hope to restore… it’s just too bad my dad won’t get to see it if that day comes…”

Starlight nods solemnly. “I’ll need to pick into your mind a little to bring this object here, as unlike the others it’s not currently in this room nor is it something I know I can just create it out of thin air, as otherwise I don’t know exactly what it looks like. Would you be ok with that, Sunny?”

Sunny does think for a moment, as someone seeking to peek into their mind would normally sound a little suspicious. But if it was only to know what this special lamp was, is there really any harm in it? Especially since Sunny is in full belief that Starlight will bring magic back to Equestria. “This… won’t take long will it, Starlight?”

“Nah, don’t worry. All I have to do is place my hoof on your forehead and I’ll quickly make a mental note of what your precious lamp looks like and where it likely is back at your home~” Starlight assures her

“Then go ahead…” Sunny bows her head forward.

The lilac genie then reaches out and places a hoof on the earth pony mare’s forehead and focuses her magic on Sunny’s memory banks. It only takes a couple of seconds for her to find what she’s looking for. Starlight thinks to herself (“Ah yes… I do almost feel bad about deceiving you, young Sunny… key word being almost… but I’m sure you’ll love having such a sentimental and meaningful vessel once you’ve joined me~”).

Starlight then takes her hoof off of Sunny's forehead, the optimistic mare raises her head back up “Did you get it?”

Starlight nods “Mmhmm, now that you’ve each told me your favorite item… it’s time to collect~” Starlight charges her horn and soon levitates Pipp’s phone, Hitch’s badge, and Zipp’s water bottle towards her.

“HEEEEEEEY! What are you doing?! Give me back my phone!” “AND GIVE ME BACK MY BADGE IMMEDIATELY!” Both Pipp and Hitch responded respectively.

“Don’t you two worry… I’m only… upgrading them a bit~” Starlight smirked

Pipp was actually sort of intrigued “Upgrade…?” though Hitch was unamused “I get how you upgrade a phone, but how do you upgrade a badge? I’m already the Sheriff!”

“Oh you’ll see~. Though let’s create Izzy’s and bring Sunny’s vess- I mean… item here too so I can enhance them all at once!” Starlight charges her horn again and out of thin air a transparent cylinder tube wide enough to fit tennis balls in them appears. And another poof brings Sunny’s special nightlight lamp to Starlight’s side. Starlight then proceeds to make all 5 items glow for a short while as the rest of the ponies watch in awe. Starlight is soon finished as the glow dissipates, although those who already had items don’t exactly see what’s different about them Sunny’s vessel seems to have slightly changed where the ponies on the carousel have a genie tail instead of back halves. Though it’s a detail that nopony picks up to immediate alarm. Starlight attaches Hitch’s badge back on her chest, while she keeps the other items next to her.

Hitch does a proud look as she gets her badge back, but she doesn’t understand what’s really so different. “Uh, so what now? I… don’t exactly see anything different about it…”

“Say! There’s no tennis balls in this container! What gives?” Izzy looks disappointed.

“Oh, you’ll both see very soon. I can promise you that~” Starlight smugly smirked

Starlight then picks up Pipp’s phone and starts using it.

Pipp gasped “Hey hey hey! That’s mine! Don’t be playing with something that isn’t yours!”

“Chill out, I’m just making sure it restarts for one last system update. Then it’ll be complete” Starlight assures Pipp

“But… that’ll end the stream I have going! I didn’t even say my closing outro for every stream!” Pipp frowned

“Don’t worry yourself, little Princess… I’ve made it so your stream doesn’t skip a beat while it’s upgrading~” Starlight smiles.

Pipp looks surprised “Wait, really? So the stream is still going?”

Starlight began to wickedly laugh “Indeed it is! And we’re about to get to the best part~. For there’s no more time to waste… I shall grant Sunny’s grand wish for you all… Magic shall return to Equestria once more… as soon as you’re all GENIES LIKE ME!” Her wicked laugh belted out louder as she opened up or pointed the items that were now to be their vessels all at once.

All of them gasp simultaneously, though as Hitch is about to run up she screams when suddenly the backside of her badge moves forward and starts pulling her in from the chest, her face and head soon curve downward along with her front hooves. Her cheeks blush for a few seconds, but the suction absorbs Hitch’s face before he could really feel what the badge was doing to her

Pipp’s tail stretches toward her phone and she exclaims to her sister “ZIIIIIIIIP! DO SOMETHING!” Zipp quickly uses her contraption that allows her to glide and tries using it to give her some momentum to save her sister, but as she approaches the phone. Suddenly the water bottle that Starlight had gets in her path, Zipp having no way to stop her momentum. She quickly falls face first into the water bottle, resulting in the bottle quickly absorbing her up to her hips. “NOOOOO! ZIIIIIIIP!” Pipp screamed.

Pipp’s tail then connects with her phone’s camera. An automated voice from the phone says “Downloading a new application”. Pipp turns around “HEY! What are you downloading?! You better not be giving my phone a virus!” “Oh, don’t you worry about a thing my little techie Princess… this is a necessary part of the upgrade… you’ve obviously held your phone for a long time… maybe it’s about time the phone held you… Prepare to be downloaded, Princess Pipp!” “WHAAAAAT?! NOOO! THAT CAN’T BE POSSIBLE… YOU CAN’T DOWNLOAD A REAL LIFE PONY… SURELY?!” But sure enough, Pipp could see a progress bar on her phone’s screen with a percentage going up the more of her tail enters. The moment she sees the progress it says 8%, a few seconds more it’s 10%, and then 12%. “This is awfully slow for my usual connection speed!” Starlight smugly smiles “Well, then I guess that just means you're a big file for a small pony~. You should thank me for upgrading your phone’s memory size so you’ll fit more than comfortably inside!”

Pipp tries running and even tries to flap her wings as fast as she can to try to escape. Though she seems to have another concern… “Stop this, PLEASE! My… my tail is covering the camera! My fans can’t see anything!” Indeed, as the entrance into the phone was made the camera. All the streamers could see is the purple of Pipp’s tail. They could still hear the screams and words of the others, which worried many of the people in the comments of what was happening. Then Pipp got an idea. “Starlight! I wish there was a 2nd camera and it appeared on stream!”

Starlight seemed confused. “You’re trying to get away, but you’re so concerned about your precious stream that you insist they must see you?” Pipp’s priorities baffle Starlight, but as she thinks on it a bit more. She gets a smirk “Actually… not a bad idea… they’ll get to see what’s in store for them soon and watch every little detail of your transformation~” Starlight grants Pipp’s wish and now a mounted webcam is pointed at Pipp.

As soon as Pipp knows the camera is active she begins to speak, another window pops up on the stream and those watching can finally see Pipp again. “I’m so sorry about that, Pippsqueaks… now if you’ll excuse me… and again this isn’t clickbait… I’M BEING DOWNLOADED INTO MY PHONE! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Pipp frantically focuses back on trying to escape.

Sunny and Izzy themselves scream in fear at the sudden turn of events as their tails stretch toward their respective items. Starlight had made an empty tennis can to contain Izzy herself, not tennis balls. And Sunny’s tail was approaching the direction of the keyhole at the side of her diorama lamp. Sunny, Izzy, and Pipp all try to run for the door but they soon come to a complete stop as they can’t drag themselves any further. Their tails acting like a leash keeping them from advancing, and they can only look in horror as they’re not just stopped from advancing. They’re slowly being dragged backwards! As they hear Starlight’s maniacal laughter, they realize this has been a trick all along.

“Waaaiiiiiiit! I’m not a tennis ball!” Though Izzy stops herself and thinks for a moment “But maybe that tennis ball they put on my horn gave me Tennis ball DNA…” She shrugs and then goes back to shrieking and trying to run away from the cylinder’s suction.

Zipp and Hitch in the meantime could not speak with their entire front halves already within the water bottle and the badge respectively, they could only kick their hindlegs and swish their tail. Though their kicking gradually begins to slow as more of them are brought in…

For the other 3, their tails have given way and their hindlegs spun around each other they fused, Giving the three of them a similar tail to what Starlight had. Purple, orange, and pink tails waving towards their destination.

“Starlight! What is this?! I thought… you said you were a friend of Princess Twilight! None of her friends would do something like this!” Sunny yelled in an accusatory detail at what seemed like betrayal of her trust.

Starlight shook her head before telling Sunny the truth “Tch, tch, tch. Sunny, I’m sorry to say… but I lied. Me and Twilight were never friends… she was the one who trapped me in that lamp for more than 5,000 years in the first place! There’s no way I could EVER consider her a friend after that!”

Sunny went wide-eyed “Whaaaaat?! Why… why would Twilight do such a thing…? To ANY pony… that… isn’t right… what could you possibly have done to deserve that?”

“Let’s just say… we had our differences. Let me warn you Sunny that you should never meet your idols. Especially those from far in the past, you never know what kind of secrets that they censored from the history books. The Equestria of back then may have been better then how Equestria is now, but it wasn’t perfect. Most villains get at least 1,000 years for trying to take over Equestria themselves, but try to seek equality for all ponies and suddenly you’re left for more than FIVE TIMES that!” Starlight gritted her teeth.

Even as she was slowly being drawn closer to being captured in her night light lamp. Sunny was more shocked that Twilight would really have punished a pony that hard. “No… she couldn’t have done that… there had to have been a reason for it… you… you had to have done something real horrible… like… like what you might be doing to us now!”

“Hmhmhmm… let’s see if you still feel that way in just a short moment now… it may have been a very long time since my transformation… but I still can never forget that first time I felt my body enter my lamp’s spout~. You and all of your friends are about to experience a power and pleasure that your ‘hero’ hid from every pony for years!” Starlight cackled.

Pipp flaps as hard as she can, but she still can’t get any further from her phone. The progress bar reaching near halfway, the number becoming 49% just as what was her hooves are mere seconds from the camera.

Sunny, Izzy, and Pipp continue to scream as their back halves in smoke form near the entrances to their vessels. Sunny desperately trying to reach out and stop herself from being sucked in “Nooooo! It can’t end like this… I… have… to… stop… you! That’s… what… Twilight… would.. d- aaaaAAAAaaaaaaAAAH!” At that precise moment, all three of the tails enters the tennis container, the camera of the phone, and the keyhole of Sunny’s lamp. They are instantly overwhelmed with a brand new feeling, and they stop screaming. All three instead express a loud moan that echoes through the station.

They didn't know how to feel at first, but regardless they had stopped any means of trying to escape. Their faces blush a deep pink, their eyes drift upwards as the pleasure bubbles up to more of their bodies. Pipp and Izzy are even already smiling, Pipp’s eyes go lidded while Izzy beams a very wide grin in reaction to the pleasure she’s feeling. Sunny doesn’t smile but her mouth is open, her eyes are closed and her hips are arced up as the magic is channelingthrough her body.

“You know… maybe I am a tennis ball! I can’t see any other reason why this feels soooooo good~” Izzy giggles, and coos.

Pipp meanwhile turns to the webcam pointed toward her. “Oh my gosh, my lovely Pippsqueaks… this… this is the greatest feeling in the world… you all deserve to see the best possible angle for this~'' It's a bit hard for Pipp to reach, but she manages to move the camera to a position where they can fully watch Pipp get fully absorbed into her phone's camera. The progress bar on the phone reads 60%

Pipp giggles “If I had known it feels like this to be downloaded… I might have envied every file and app imaginable!”

She wiggles her body slowly and seductively, tossing her beautiful purple mane around, cooing and moaning as more of her body enters her phone. “Oooooh~ Yes… YESSSSSS! You’re all getting a real special show now~.”

Sunny breathes heavily a few times before turning to Starlight’s direction “S-s-s-starlight… I… ooo~ h-how…. or why… does this feel so good? And… if… this is what Twilight did to you… why… are you bitter towards her? Cause this… feels more like a reward than a punishment…”

“Maybe if Twilight had let me out after I had experienced it, things could have been different between us. But that wears thin when you’re left to be alone for thousands of years… at least I had my near limitless magical powers to keep me occupied in that time, but I had no pony around to show… or shall I say… share it to… until you girls showed up~.

Think of it like this, instead of Twilight or another pony getting my thanks for releasing me. You girls got something special for helping me out of there, you shall all help me restore magic to Equestria. But not in the way it was before, let them experience what I’m currently giving you… there will be no need for petty squabbles between the three races if we’re all in Geniequality!

Just think about it, Sunny! The future you and your late father strived for… it will all be for the taking if everypony were genies!” Starlight proudly pointed out.

Sunny goes into deep thought even as she’s made to moan some more from the process of her transformation. A part of her still feels like this probably wasn’t what her father had in mind, but the more pleasure that pumped through her. The more she was convinced this was a much faster and efficient way to bring all pony kind together again. A grin finally appears on her face as she thinks about how Equestria’s ponies will see each other as equals again soon.

Starlight knows she’s got her now “That’s it, Sunny. Now you’re thinking my way on changing the world, we won’t just have the magic back from the era of Equestria you glorify so much. We will make Equestria even BETTER then back then. Your fangirling for Twilight might make you think there couldn’t be anything better than her reign, but I promise there is much more that could be done then whatever Twilight did in her time!”

The thoughts just keeps swirling through Sunny’s head. Whereas Pipp and Izzy are already enjoying their transformations in their own way. Pipp uses her wings to fly up, and it turns the phone into a vertical position as she does. Moving herself so she can be sucked in downward, her wings were now moving and massaging her body along with her own hooves. In fact Sunny and Izzy’s hooves did the same swirling around their shortening tails. The pleasure intensifies as their hooves massage every area of their lengthening and smoky bodies.

“Tee hee! We kinda look like strange worms. Oooo~” Izzy giggled while she too felt the pleasure pump through her body.

Zipp and Hitch were getting their tails slurped by their vessels, a schooomp sound for the water bottle and a cling for the badge is heard as they finish up sucking in the two mares.

Now Sunny, Izzy, and Pipp who were down to their necks. The pleasure ever intensifies through them, their moans reaching a new crescendo. Izzy and Pipp are now very open to the idea of what being genies could do for them before their final moments of being simply normal ponies.

“My longtime Pippsqueak fans, you are witnessing the birth of a new era of my channel… just think of the possibilities! And…. OOOOOOoooo~ for the new followers.. DON’T FORGET TO LIKE, COMMENT AND SUBSCRRRIIIIIIIIiBbb-mmmmmmmmmmmmph!” As Pipp is fully brought in, a notification makes a ding sound on the phone with text and the automated voice from before saying “Genie Pipp.app successfully downloaded”. On the phone’s menu, a circle appears with what seems to be Pipp’s musical cutie mark, though the music note seems to be in the process of getting sucked in or coming out of a vessel in the corner

“OH MY GOOSSSSSSSHHHHHH! I’VE NEVER FELT SUCH SPARKLE IN MY LIFE! I NEED IT! I NEED IT ALL! SO MUCH SPARRRRKLLLLLEEEeeee–MMMMMMPPPhhhhhhhh!' A pop from the can is heard as Izzy’s pulled in completely

All that’s left now was Sunny’s head, she saw all her friends around her get sucked in as she was too. She saw that Izzy and Pipp were overwhelmed with their transformation. And despite it being done by a pony who was actually an active antagonist to her longtime idol, and the nagging feeling that this isn’t how her father pictured the ponies would be back together. It was at this point she let go of those concerns, because everything was beginning to click for her. Partly because she couldn’t resist the pleasure welling up inside her, but it makes her feel better when she pictures that no pony else will too. As long as the three types of ponies are happy, living together, and making active friendships again. Could it really be that bad if it likely wasn’t by what her father’s methods might have been? Regardless of the means, it was certainly sounding better then the current society they have now.

“Soon, Dad… it’ll be over… our dreams… magic will be back… AAHHHHH~ AND A NEW GENERATION OF FRIIIIIEEEENNNNNSSSHHIIII-mMMMpppppph!” The last of Sunny’s face swirls into her lamp. The key closes the keyhole, making a click as it turns to lock Sunny in. And the lamp glows for a short time as if fully absorbing Sunny had given it energy. Lights shine from the lamp, though instead of ponies depicted on the wall, they were of Sunny’s cutie mark. However, a lamp is added directly where the trail of the shooting star ends at.

Zipp’s, Hitch’s, and Pipp’s remain relatively unchanged on the outside. Though Izzy’s vessel becomes no longer transparent as it turns the color of Izzy’s coat. The circular top is colored like Izzy’s mane. A changed mark on Izzy’s as well with her buttoned heart being drawn downward into a vessel

With all 5 ponies completely in their vessels, Starlight laughs victoriously and wickedly. “Oh… that felt good! I’d almost say it was worth the wait, but I’m still miffed it took this long. It would have been nice to have this back when ponies I actually knew were still around… I bet Our Town doesn’t even exist any more. And I won’t get to have my revenge on Twilight’s family and friends… and if TWILIGHT’S known to be missing… who in Equestria knows what happened to Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. But oh well… I’ll take being free in this future then still being stuck in there forever… let’s meet the first members of our new Genie-ration!~”

Starlight uses her magic to lift the key and the tennis container’s top from Izzy’s and Sunny’s vessels. She shakes Zipp’s bottle, presses the new app on the phone menu,, and opens up a flap on the back side of the badge for the rest. She then lays them all on the ground. Pipp’s phone vibrates constantly, both the Carousel on Sunny’s lamp and Hitch’s badge spin wildly fast, Zipp’s water bottle and Izzy’s vessel compresses on itself. All leading up to a huge…

FWOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Pink, Orange, Yellow, White, and Purple smoke pour from their respective vessels with the colors of their manes and tails being sparks that mix around everywhere. Five tendrils of smoke that rise into the air of the station that may have very well been once part of Canterlot. Magic was back in a whole new way, and in Starlight’s opinion…. As well as the soon-to-be fully formed genies, it would be better then they could have ever imagined

The smoke clouds from their top halves turn into the silhouettes of the 5 mares. Their colors soon fading in completely. The colors of their veils and leggings were as follows: Blue for Izzy, Gold for Pipp, Brilliant Raspberry for Zipp, Dark Silver for Hitch, and Purple for Sunny. All of them sigh together in satisfaction after their transformations.

Pipp quickly flew down to the webcam down onto the ground. “Behold, Pippsqueaks. Feast your eyes on a whole new me! Me and my new friends have become genies! And we can all make your wishes come true soon~” The comments in the chat quickly get filled with requests for wishes, that the moderators have to put in a slow mode for the chat. Pipp giggles, don’t worry all of you… I have a link I can send to you to download my app. And send me your requests there… who knows… I may even show up in your own home depending on the wish~ (And then I can get downloaded over and over again~)”

“In the meantime… FIRST SELFIE AS A GENIE TIME!” Pipp swoops down near Starlight’s side. Who just looks rather confused with Pipp’s actions. Starlight imagines there will be plenty of technology she’ll get to see, as in a world without magic (Even if not for long now). It probably was more necessary here.

Zipp was just enjoying the feeling of being in the air, she did many tricks that she developed while simply gliding but was now actually using them in a proper flight. She couldn’t have imagined she would be doing this with the lack of hindlegs. Though she knows she can disconnect her tail just as Starlight did..As for now, she finds it fun to sort of draw loops with her new genie tail.

Izzy just squee’s in happiness. She created an empty canvas around her and started using her magic to create more at once then she ever could before. Glitter, Macaroni art, paint, everything an arts and crafts pony would imaginably have.

Sunny just looks around astounded at her and the rest of her friend’s forms. She also notices that her vessel seems to have lit up. She sees that her release has activated its glow and her cutie mark now spreads all around it. She also takes a look at the three wooden ponies on the carousel. It was there for a little while but she hadn’t truly noticed it as she had been too focused on meeting Starlight and then trying to run from the lamp’s suction. She smiles seeing the three ponies who were now genies, it was like a preview of what was soon to spread all over this world. “This… this is fantastic, Starlight! I love everything about this! And you say we’re really going to share this with every pony else?!”

Starlight nods happily “Of course, Sunny! While I did lie to you before, I was fully telling you the truth about what I have in store for the world~.”

Hitch in the meantime was still basking in his transformation. “Wow… that felt like my last trip to the massage parlor… but 10x better!” Though as Hitch finally begins to note some things, she looks at herself and notices… “….WHAT THE BUCK?! Starlight! Why am I still a mare?! I thought you heard my wish!”

Starlight giggled. “Oh I did… I just chose to ignore it~ or... perhaps… I just nixed one word from your wish. Instead of changing you back. It became ‘I wish you’d change me’ and change you I did! Haha!””

Hitch growls, but then another realization dawns on him. “Haha… hahahaha.. HAHAHAHAHA! You fools! You have given me equal power with you girls! I can put you all under arrest with the power you gave me!”

Starlight raises an eyebrow “Are you sure about that?~ It's 5 against 1… and need I remind you that one of those 5 being me… a genie with more than 5000 years of experience…”

“Yeah, officer… You’re kind of outnumbered on this one…” Zipp bluntly told her.

“Also, Hitch… as you are a genie now… you could simply just turn into your stallion self again if you really insist on it…” Pipp reminded

“Oh, that’s right!” Hitch goes ahead and poof himself to be a stallion. “Hehe, now I’m back to myse-“ But he notices that he still has the rather feminine looking veil and leggings on him. “Oh heck… now this just looks embarrassing!” He grumbles and crosses his hooves as he turns himself back into her mare form. “Ugh… I’ll at least admit… I kinda look good as a mare… those accessories would just have me laughed off by Sprout if I came back as a stallion like that…”

“But he wouldn’t be laughing any more as soon as you genify him, isn’t that right?” Sunny suggested with a smug smile.

Hitch thinks for a good moment and soon grins “Hmm, that is a good point. Heh, that might actually be sort of… fun”

“And one more thing, how would you like a name for your new mare self? You don’t have to of course, but if you’re averse to wearing feminine clothes while you’re a stallion. Maybe you’ll want a new name to associate your mare self with.” Starlight offered

“Oh gosh… I guess that’d be a good idea too… but I’m no good with this kind of creative stuff. What would be a fitting mare name for me?” Hitch turns to the other mares. And the most creative out of them raises her hoof.

“Oooo ooo ooo! Instead of Hitch Trailblazer… you could be… HARNESS PATHFINDER!” Izzy beams a grin

The mare that was once Hitch thinks on that for a moment, and smiles. “I guess that’ll do! Sheriff Harness it is!” She puts her hooves on her hips, raising her nose in the air making a proud pose.

With their genifications settled, Starlight gives them some time to talk things over and do some magic tricks with their newfound magic. Before she approaches the group as their discussion settles down. “Now that you’re basking is winding down… how do you girls feel about beginning our spread to the world~. We could even split into our respective pony races and we’ll then come together again once a good majority of each population have become genies like us! The pegasi Princesses spread this to the city above us, Sunny and Harness go back to their hometown, and I’ll go with Izzy to see what has become of the unicorns of this world.

“Ooo ooo ooooooooo! This will be great! I can’t wait to show you the mystical forest of Bridlewood and all the trees and crystals you can shake a stick at!” Izzy grabs Starlight for a hug and spins around as she still floats in the air. Starlight becomes dizzy after being let, go but she recovers and then giggles. “I’m sure it will be a great time, Izzy. Anything I should know before we go?”

“Ah yes of course… you’ll need to know… the unicorns have become quite superstitious. They instantly go say this 'Bing bong' chime whenever a cursed word is said” Izzy warns

“Oh really… can you give me one of those words?” Starlight curiously asked

“Mayonnaise is one of them” Izzy says, barely skipping a beat.

Starlight reacts in confusion “What? Why is Mayonnaise a curse word?”

Izzy shrugged “I don’t know! It just is!”

“Well… I guess to be fair, I’m not exactly a fan of mustard myself…” Starlight admits

“Huh! Is it just a unicorn thing to dislike some sort of common condiment and/or food topping even back then?” Izzy wonders

Sunny giggles “That might actually be a thing! I’ve heard rumors of Twilight not being a fan of foods with too much cheese!”

“WHAAAAAAAAT! How could Twilight dislike having MORE cheese! The cheesier the better I say!” Izzy protested

The entire group just erupts in laughter. Soon things settle down enough though for both the Pegasi and the Earth ponies to respond to the idea of Starlight’s plan. “Sure, me and Harness will go to genify every pony in Maretime Bay.”

Zipp nods “And me and my sister will get every pony here in Zephyr Heights”

“Ooooh~ I can’t wait to fulfill all my darling Pippsqueak’s wishes! Especially ones that will genify them… mua ha ha ha!” Pipp beamed a devilish grin.

Starlight is delighted to have these ponies from a future far from her own time listen to her. It’ll take time for her to get used to this world, but she’ll soon have what she’s waited so long for… Geniequality for all.

Though as they all split up, Starlight thinks to herself one more time.

(“If you are still out there somewhere, Twilight… I WILL find you… and you WILL find out what it’s like to be isolated for 5,000 years!”)

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murfeelee · 3 months

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TS3 vs TS4 Features - Supernatural

I saw @moonbiscuitsims' comment here about how EA added "way more features" in their TS4 occult packs, and I wanted to talk about it in depth, cuz that's a misleading statement. Y'all know TS4's my trigger.

Cuz yes, on paper, EA offers a LOT of stuff in TS4 packs. But the saying goes: as broad as an ocean and as deep as a puddle. 😬 QUALITY, versus QUANTITY, which is crucial for replayability, customization, variability, and ultimate longevity. And another thing is the TIMEFRAME that that content was released. Sure, if it takes you 10 years to develop/dripfeed your frikkin game, ofc you can add more content over more packs; than if you'd just stuck to ONE dedicated pack, developed it in 1-2 years, and given people arguably BETTER, if not MORE content.

My gut reaction's to say EA had BETTER be offering more content! 😤 Not even to justify the ridiculous pricetag or anything, but for the simple fact that TS4's supposed to be NEXT GEN. It's SUPPOSED to be bigger & better than everything that came before it. Why are we sitting here for 10 years with TS4 if it ain't gonna increase ANYTHING but my rising blood pressure & trust issues?!

So Imma just examine TS3 SN in comparison with TS4's packs, and give my take on what's been going on, from 2012 (SN EP) to now.

Missing Features: TS4 Fairies

A fairy was the very first sim I ever made in TS3 back in 2009 (my avatar sim, Sakura). Watching the SN announcement trailer for the first time dang near made me cry. TS4 could never; moving on.

Missing Features: TS4 Zombies & Toadsims

TS4 Tragic Clowns are a W for the apple juggling & costume. I think EA was lazy by slacking on the clown just cuz he's already dead in Sunset Valley; and I guess they don't expect players to resurrect his ghost. SN EP did nothing to actually improve/expand him, just creating the alchemy Clown Potion; I guess to better integrate fishing the Clownfish into the lore.

TS4 Vampires GP (2017)

This is an easy one. I've said since TS3 Late Night EP (2010) that TS3's vampires are utter dogtrash, and the SN EP did eff all to patch/improve them, and I will die on that hill (until someone figures out how to give convert TS4's functional coffins & vampire fights & special FX). Compared to every other occult, I have more mods installed just to try to fix how effing busted & stupid vamps are; and these sparkling Twilight dumb AF bloodsuckers STILL get on my dang nerves.

IMO, TS4 Vampires is hands down the best pack EA ever made for TS4. 10/10, the attention they put in that pack outclasses darn near everything else they did until TS4 Seasons. Undisputed W, yes. 👏

TS4 Realm of Magic GP (2019)

Disputed W. I gave it an 8/10 at BEST, cuz magic/fantasy's a win, but I am disappointed. If this had been a home run for EA, I'd've shut my dang mouth, ISTG. But alas. I went on a long AF tirade against RoM when I realized that a lot of its so-called "new" features were things we could already do in TS4, with a flashy coat of paint--let alone things TS3 & the SN EP did, and better. Some things I didn't mention though:

Muggles who ask spellcasters how to do magic are sent on a fetch quest for Magic Motes, which is EXACTLY what the ITF EP Time Traveler occult Emit Revelart makes normies do to, finding Power Cells to learn how to use the Time Portal.

The Witch's perks/ranks system works just like the Vampires one, so kudos to EA for not fixing something that ain't broke I guess.

The Spells: At MTS I actually broke down what each of TS4's spellcasters do that's largely nothing sims couldn't do in TS3, even before SN came out (via SHT Genies or SSNS Aliens, or the Store).

TS3 Witches (let alone other lifestates) can do most of this either through alchemy or inherited features from older TS3 packs. This was a huge RoM dealbreaker for me, as I'd been hoping for WAY more innovative features in TS4's spells--the whole point of Spellcasters--than just an elaborate set of cheats. TS3's Witch's main features are fewer, but far more cohesive, IMO. (Granted, NONE of the packs holds a single candle to the GOAT that is TS1's Makin Magic, which had WAY more features than TS2, TS3 & TS4; and was CHEAPER. But I digress.)

There's no unique features with TS3/TS4 wands; they act the same way; the effects are just different, and TBH I'm not a fan of either--I wish wand/magic FXs could be modded in different colors at least (like BLACK 😈). But I DO like that in TS4 they can duel for rewards.

TS4 brooms do EFF ALL in a closed world; EA made them exactly they way they were in TS2, with zero innovation. (IIRC kids can't even use them--EA's hatred for kids & elders ALMOST matches MY hatred of EA.)

IMO beekeeping doesn't count, cuz TS3 included it as a small feature for alchemy ingredients in the SN EP, while TS4 integrated it far better in SSNS to work with gardening, which is genius.

Speaking of SSNS, there's the Weather Stone that only appears if you have both SN & SSNS, so occults can conjure magical weather effects over the whole world. (I'll talk about the best perk under Crystals SP.)

Familiars are the certified W for me with RoM. They're the best & most unique & most well-thought out & feature of the GP, IMO. ❤️

Extra TS4 features I think are supremely cool are spellcasters' books floating whenever they read anything. And their cauldrons have much cooler animations, and I'm so jealous that y'all can cook food in them; EA should've added that to the Store Cauldron, although I guess I understand why they didn't in the SN EP Alchemy Cauldron.

A lot of RoM's features are wrapped around Glimmerbrook. Access to Glimmerbrook comes with the Glimmer Stone key--and I WOULD use that as a segue into the Crystals SP, but I'll hold off. I already vented about Glimmerbrook in my Werewolves GP rant--but I'll get to that in a minute, too. The bigger issue is what even constitutes a TS4 "world"--those non-customizeable tiny AF clusters of tiny AF lots and huge swaths of decorative set dressing--let alone the Diagon Alley ripoff EA loves promoting like I was born yesterday and never saw Harry Potter. GORGEOUS realm, of course, like many EA worlds are. But they're largely just set-dressing, which irritates me to no end.

TS4 Paranormal SP (2021)

I've ranted & raved about Paranormal before: 7/10 at best.

TS4 Seances with the crystal ball work very differently from TS3's Soothsayer's Crystal Ball, which wasn't about banishing ghosts, but improving progression for SN's Witches & Fortune Telling (career). Fortune Telling's NOT a ghostly job, although the boho aesthetic carried over to TS4 Paranormal. (On top of the fact that they promised this whole NOLA Voodoo vibe, but delivered ZERO cultural accurate features reflecting ANYTHING from Haitian Voodoo, wtf? It's all hippie boho New Age BS--why TF does the tutorial ghost look more like Johnny Depp and less like Dr. Facilier, I ask you, EA.) Granted, some of the interactive objects are nice, like the calming dollbaby & magic candles to purify lots--kinda like TS3 incense. But again: 1-trick ponies. Yes, the animations look great, but crystal balls are typically for divination, asking spirits about the past/present/future, not removing haunting poltergeists, so I don't really get it. Stylish & gorgeous! But GENERIC AF substance-wise.

IMO, TS4's Ghosts are an L across the board; all the way from the base game--that bafflingly launched in 2014 WITHOUT ghosts until they were patched in a whole month later after everyone rose a stink (IIRC TS4 kids can't be ghosts!?)--to present. EA's been over/course-correcting from that gaffe ever since, with like double the amount of Death types than TS3. I DO NOT like how TS4 ghosts colors are tied to Eeemotionnsss~! (more like they're a sentient Plumbbob). TBF, kudos to TS4's smoky cloudy effect when ghosts appear. But the lack of unique deaths & ghost types in RoM (aside from Spellcaster Overload & the Night Wraith) made me roll my eyes, as SN EP's ghost types are some of my faves (ITF & SHT are also my top 3).

IIRC it was the SN patch that unlocked all types in (basegame?) CAS to make playable Ghosts. SN's Philosopher's Stone allows sims to summon new playable Ghosts (and ofc allows for transmutating cheap objects into gold ingots--more on that later), or it can just kill you and make YOU the new ghost, LOL.

But as for features, sure, TS4 ghosts have more interactions--though they're all pretty, rather than scary (vs TS2 ghosts, which were SCARY). TS4 ghosts lost the HORROR to just be silly/goofy or just CUTESY--especially the little spectres from Paranormal.

Speaking of horror, I can't talk about ghosts w/out bringing up TS3's AMB EP, cuz the Ghost Hunter (profession) is the real parallel with TS4's Paranormal Investigator (freelancer). In TS3, they actually stuck to their promised main premise (Ghostbusters). Overall, TS4 Seances are nowhere near as fluid as TS3 ghostbusting. In TS3 you can run all over the world using gidgets-gadgets to detect/fight ghosts & sprites, not just inside haunted houses, but anywhere they happen to spawn (ofc inc. graveyards). You're not just locked to a lot/house the player already knows is haunted (cuz you just toggle Haunted Lot to trigger the feature--SN's Ghost Gnome object isn't exactly the same, but it does spawn hauntings on the lots you put them in). ANY TS3 indoor/outdoor residential/community lot can randomly get haunted during a Ghost Hunter's shift; and you never know which one it'll be, or what kind of shenanigans will happen--EVIL ghost or just some sprites--which skyrockets replayability & keeps things fresh & interesting.

Functionally, Paranormal had no right to be that dang good for a Stuff Pack. That was a Game Pack; IDKY EA insists otherwise; esp. when it offered more & better things than some actual GPs. I'm confused. However, a serious problem TS4 has is that it gameifies everything to the point that TS4's numerous features lose their spontaneity, and just become rote--BORING. The ectoplasm everywhere just becomes another mess in your (haunted) house you have to clean--CHORES. On top of me not liking TS4 ghosts' look & vibe (and I HATE TS4's Bonehilda). Quality over quantity, EA!

TS4 Werewolves GP (2022)

Speaking of ghosts, waaaay back in 2020 I told the spirits precisely what I wanted from a potential Werewolf dedicated TS4 pack. Did they listen? HAYUL NAW. So in 2022 I said everything I had to say about the Werewolves GP, and accepted the fact that EA's INEPT.

Do TS4's wolves have MORE features than TS3? YES ofc (even in 2012 everyone complained that Witches & Faeries got the lion's share & Werewolves got shafted--they're basically glorified Familiars for Witches/Alchemist to find collectibles--more on that below). But was most of it GOOD features though? Debatable! I LOATHE the 2 wolf packs, which was what I'd most looked forward to; plus the whole world's aesthetic was ugly homeless-grunge, without a single bit of creativity or originality--only EA could make monsters as terrifying as werewolves effing cartoony hipster squatters. 🤦 7/10 at best.

TS4 Crystals SP (2024)

These crystals are ugly, EA. Which is weird, cuz the basegame TS4 gems & esp. space rocks are GORGEOUS. I have no idea which vision-impaired dev at EAxis thought these nasty looking opaque poorly-painted rocks were pretty.

Features-wise, granted, having TS4's bonafide Gemology skill from the Crystals SP's nice, instead of TS3's basegame hidden Collector skill. But the functioanlity's largely the same: cut more, unlock more (which I prefer to cheat my way through--TS3 thinks I have time for all this gameplay, LOL). (Not to mention all the extra features TS3's Aliens, Simbots & Plumbbots have when interacting with gems, space rocks, or metals.) TS4 only got 10 gem cuts for 27 crystals (=270), (+25 metals); compared to TS3's 16 gem cuts for 28 gems (=448), (+16 metals with their own separate ingots). Of TS4's 10 cuts, the Skull Cut is the ONLY one I think looks better (ignoring the atrociously flat textures ofc) than TS3's (which TS4 copy/pasted--no agates, no crystal ball, wtf).

The Garden Gnome cut isn't unique to TS4, as TS3 has several craftable (glass-only) Garden Gnome cut from the Glassblowing Machine (more on that soon).

The only TS3 gem that genuinely affects sims is radioactive Tiberium from the WA EP, so more features is definitely a plus. The best addition is TS4's Charging Grid feature--I LOVE that TS4 crystals can be imbued with magic energy--it's like TS3's Store Crystal Tree, ITF EP's magic crystal plants & the SN EP Mood Lamp all rolled into one. @greenplumbboblover's WIP Interests & Hobbies mod brainstormed integrating that functionality that back in 2020.

The functionality of the TS3 SN EP Gem Cutter & the TS4 Crystal Tree are similar, though ofc the tree's wallet & eco-friendly; and it's a plant, not a hunk of machinery, so it naturally has that going for it.

There's also the SN-SSNS Weather Stone, which gives werewolves the ability to summon a Hunter's Storm, raining a hail of gems, rocks & metals over the whole world for easy loot farming. (The best perk, though my fave is the Faeries' Reviving Sprinkle for gardening.)

Aside from SN, TS3's real equivalent is actually the Prism Art Studio Venue's Artisan skill. Cuz the REAL seller's the jewellery-making. There's ~100 CAS items in Crystals SP (plus 30+ regular Build/Buy mode objects). At $10, the Crystals SP is a steal, at least when compared to the BONKERS $20 tag on TS3's Prism Art Studio at the Store (2014). IIRC the Glassblowing Machine newly added 16 craftable CAS items & 13 craftable glass objects (as SN already gave us the Gem-Cutting Machine & AMB already gave us the Widgets work station); and 8 Build/Buy objects (inc. the goated L-shaped "spiral" stairs). It also added 5 craftable Perfumes for sims to use.

So while the Crystals SP added NICE features, I wouldn't say they added MORE features. Rather, they added more content: Quantity. But as for Quality, I think TS3 beats it out--the Prism Studio's a effing ripoff, but AFAIK it added features TS4 still doesn't have yet (craftable glassblowing & perfumes, spiral stairs); and the objects it did add are pretty nifty.

Timeframe-wise, we got the 2014 Prism Art Studio's Glassblower 2 years after the SN EP's Gem-Cutter; 5 years after the 2009 basegame. Compared to TS4's wait for the Crystals SP 2 years after Werewolves, 3 after Paranormal, 5 after RoM; and a whopping DECADE after the basegame launched in 2014. Wtf, EA?

Still, I'd say the Crystal SP's a 7/10 (there's not enough gem cuts, the gems textures are ugly, and most of the features were lifted from things TS3 had innovated 10+ years earlier).

TL;DR

Quantity =/= Quality.

EA's been taking way too long releasing packs to have the nerve to present debatable content--it should be goated releases EVERY time; esp. since everyone agrees TS4 is easier to create content for, so much smaller in scale/scope, and with an infinitely larger budget & fanbase than The Sims franchise ever had. There's zero excuse for EAxis' mediocrity, when TS3 was churning out EPs like it's life depended on it: SHT, SN, and SSNS all came out the SAME EFFING YEAR. 2012 was LIT.

EA, you suck.

#the sims 3 #sims 3 supernatural #the sims 4 #ts4 #ts3 #rant alert #electronic arts #more like electronic farts #EA you suck

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